Chapter 8

Riza Phoenix was walking towards the Gremory territory, taking her time since she was smiling at the sight of Akeno Himejima being taken out by Yubelluna's explosion magic.

Rias Gremory's Queen has been eliminated.

"Heh. I knew that Yubelluna was learning more tricks to use her Explosion magic better. Who would've thought anime would be a good way to help me come up with some better strategies for my peerage?" Riza said as she chuckled at the times she spent with Issei watching some of their favorite anime and how they would check out the girls that they were interested in from said shows.

"Maybe Issei-Chan and I can have a celebratory dinner to win this game? Also, Sona would be too busy to interrupt us. Hehe." Riza said as she snickered at the image of an angry Sona while Sona, in her home, felt like someone was planning behind her back.

Riza was whistling a catchy little tune to herself until Koneko emerged from the bushes. She narrowed her eyes at the voluptuous woman.

"I won't let you pass," Koneko said as she readied herself for a fight. Riza raised a brow at this.

"You expect me to take you seriously? You may have gotten stronger, but I happen to know that you struggle in using your Neko powers." Riza said as she prepared herself to deal with the Neko while Koneko was nervous and unsure if she could defeat her.

'I was able to use my Neko form for five minutes. Once that times up, I have to stop it, or I'll lose control, but even with that, I have to stop Riza from making it to Rias's base.' Koneko said as she recalled her chat with Issei after the day she left the mansion.

'Remember, Koneko, that you may be able to use Senjutsu now that you are not letting your fear control you, but your body isn't accustomed to using all of that power. You can use your Neko form for a total of five minutes until your mind begins to enter a berserker-like state. Similar to what happened when you wanted to spar with me, so make sure you do not go over your five-minute limit; otherwise, you'll lose yourself to your power.'

Koneko had been trying to lengthen the time she could remain in her Neko form but could only do it for five minutes at maximum. When it comes to power, Koneko has the advantage, but in terms of skills and experience, Riza beats her as well in terms of regeneration.

Koneko then summoned her Neko form, and she began to charge at Riza before the Phoenix called a sword from a portal. She then ignited the blade to cover it in flames, which shocked Koneko until she felt her body being cut as she looked to see that her left arm being severed from her body.

"AH!" Koneko yelled as she grabbed her arm and used her Senjutsu to stop the bleeding until Riza smiled at her.

"Do you like it? It's a special sword that I had made for me since I figured that having a weapon to defend myself." Riza asked as she then turned to face Koneko, who was struggling to regenerate her arm. "This sword is blessed with the same flames as a Phoenix, so it'll do some damage to your body. Right now, your Senjutsu is trying to regenerate your arm as well as trying to combat my flames."

Koneko's Senjustu then completed healing her arm and regenerating her a new one as Riza readied herself once again. Koneko tried to rush toward the Phoenix and punch her, but the woman's experience in many battles helped her in this clash.

Riza deflected the blows or dodged them with ease before using her punches and kicks to cause damage to Koneko, which hurt a lot even with her Senjutsu healing her.

The Gremory Rook was thrown back into a wall, which made her unable to move for a bit until she was feeling drained so quickly that she saw a blade pointed at her neck. Koneko looked up at Riza, who was smiling at her, before backing away.

"Issei told me that you improved, so prove to me she wasn't wrong," Riza said as Koneko's wounds healed before Koneko released more energy and looked at her timer.

'I only have two minutes left, so I have to make them count!' Koneko said as she sped towards Riza much faster. The Phoenix was shocked by this before Koneko became a white blur and a pinball of destruction as she tried to hit Riza with deadly speed and power.

Riza blocked a couple of hits, but Koneko landed a few blows on the Phoenix, which slightly annoyed her for a bit until Riza felt her regeneration save her, but it was slow due to the Senjutsu.

"Tch. Not bad. Issei was right. You really did improve, but I also know that when using so much power, there's a limit to how much you can use." Riza said as she felt a slight change in Koneko's attack before Riza smiled with joy and grabbed the cat's face. Riza then slammed Koneko down into the ground before unleashing a barrage of deadly punches on the Neko, which made Koneko's Neko form begin to fall as her Senjutsu was the only way the Neko was still in the game.

Riza ended her barrage as Koneko's Neko form fell. The cat was drained of energy while her body was dead tired from using so much power until her timer ended. Koneko looked at Riza, back to normal, as she tried to punch Riza once again, but the Phoenix dodged it as she then caught the tired body of Koneko with her left arm.

"You held out well, but unfortunately, you picked the wrong opponent," Riza said as Koneko vanished from the game.

Rias Gremory's only Rook has been eliminated.

Riza smiled at this as she felt a slight change in her peerage as she heard the announcer once again.

One of Riza Phoenix's Knights has been eliminated.

One of Riza Phoenix's Rooks has been eliminated.

One of Riza Phoenix's Bishops has been eliminated.

Four of Riza Phoenix's Pawns have been eliminated.

Rias Gremory's only Knight has been eliminated.

"Hm. The Knight must've made a gamble to try and dent my forces. An impressive attempt, but I still have more than Rias, and I shall not fall." Riza said as she knew that if the Rook didn't have a limit on how long she could use her Neko form and Riza's regeneration, then Riza probably would've been defeated by the small girl.

Yubelluna floated down towards her King and spoke to her. "Ravel and her group are dealing with the Pawn as we speak, which means Rias is alone."

Riza smiled at this as she continued walking towards Rias's territory until a massive explosion shocked the two. Riza saw that it was close to the Gremory base, which made Riza rush over there to see an enormous crater. Ravel was behind a barrier by two of the Pawns of her team until they vanished as the Knight of the group was healing thanks to the Phoenix Tears that Ravel gave to her.

All of Riza Phoenix's remaining Pawns have been eliminated.

The last of Riza Phoenix's Rook has been eliminated.

Riza walked towards Ravel, glad she was okay, before seeing the Knight was fully recovered while Yubelluna readied herself for a battle. Rias helped Saji up as the Gremory Pawn panted until he fell on one knee.

"You and your team held out well, Rias Gremory, but unfortunately, you lacked the strength to stand and fight. Your Knight took out half of my peerage with a deadly gamble that cost him participating in the game. Your Queen was taken out by my own, and your Rook has fallen but held out well against me. Sadly, you and your Pawn are on your last leg." Riza said as Rias tried to figure out how she could still win.

"I'm still standing with my Queen, one of my Knights who's fully recovered and ready to go for another round, and my sister who's ready to fight as well. Unfortunately, you lack the strength and the numbers to win. You've used too much magic to take out the last of my Pawns and my second Rook; however, it's all over." Riza said as Rias struggled to stand up and fight before Riza walked towards Rias and leaned into the Gremory King before whispering something in her ear until Riza leaned back. She then tapped the girl's forehead as Rias conceded.

"I surrender," Rias said as the light took her and Saji from the game before the announcer spoke the results.

Rias Gremory has surrendered, meaning Riza Phoenix has claimed victory.

Riza smiled as she was happy that this was over. She then left the game to see how her peers were doing.

Azazel whistled in surprise as he saw that the game had ended. "Not bad. The Neko could use some more training, but all in all, it's not bad. It's a shame that the Gremory team fell, but it was a wise move on the Gremory team's part. Otherwise, it would've ended badly for Rias and her Pawn."

The Governor smiled as he turned off the television. He then heard some light groaning from the other room as Azazel headed to Issei to see that her body had matured well before Issei slowly opened her eyes to see Azazel.

"Heh. I take it that Riza won?"

"You bet she did," Azazel said as he ruffled Issei's hair a bit, which made her pout at her hair being ruined, but this made Azazel chuckle even more as he loved this side of Issei.

Issei then slowly got up from the table, with some help from Azazel, as she headed towards Ddriag's new body to see that it had gone through a massive transformation. Ddraig's body had short red hair with red dragon scales all over his body, and even his tail was still there. He looked old enough to be a fourth year in high school as Ddriag slowly began to wake up.

"Mm." Ddraig slowly opened his eyes. He gasped as he could see the ceiling with his own eyes and not from the eyes of his host. Ddraig gasped as he slowly sat up as well and looked at his hands before gasping at the whole body mirror.

"I-I actually have a body now," Ddriag muttered as he turned to see Issei smiling at him before asking.

"I take it to you like your new body? I know it's not your old one, but-!" Issei said before Ddraig stopped her by hugging his new little sister as the dragon cried tears of joy.

"I-It's perfect. Thank you, Issei. Thank you. You have no idea how long I've dreamed of this day." Ddriag said as Issei smiled and patted his back before the moment was interrupted by a massive growl that came from the dragon's stomach, which made the two embarrassed while Azazel laughed at the two.

"Heh. Who wants an all-you-can-eat buffet? I'm buying." Azazel asked as Issei and Ddraig nodded in excitement while the trio headed into the Underworld, where the Phoenix was holding a celebration party for Riza's victory.

As soon as the trio ended up there, the two dragons found the excellent buffet, where Issei and Ddraig ate to their heart's content as the two loved the taste of the food. Ddraig, especially since it's the first time he's actually eaten food with his mouth since a very long time ago. Riza was surprised by the newcomer next to Issei until Azazel explained that Issei would tell her about it later.

Riza acknowledged this as she went to spend some time with Issei. Ddraig was also enjoying himself and claimed the role of a big brother to Issei as he glared at any other nobles who even thought to look at Issei without her permission.

Ddraig knew the Phoenix was a good person, so he didn't mind either Riza or Ravel coming near Issei and chatting with her before Rias Gremory approached the party as they were miffed that they lost their first Ratings Game, but Riza didn't seem to hold it, against them and invited them to dine and feast with the others.

This surprised Rias since she figured that Riza would've had the wedding ready until the Phoenix reassured her that she had it all taken care of.

The party then proceeded until Riza was asked to speak about the possible wedding. Riza smiled and replied to them all.

"Now, I know many of you are wondering about the wedding between Rias Gremory and myself, but I have ended it, for I have already made a promise to marry someone else. Someone who I see as a far more worthy partner that I want in my life, and one who's like me in a way, so can I ask for my girlfriend to join me?" Riza asked as Issei smiled as she appeared next to her girlfriend with some meat on a plate in her hands.

"Hello there. My name is Issei Hyoudou, the Red Dragon Empress of this generation, and I would like to thank you all for being here to support Riza's victory." Issei said as she began to enjoy her meat before grabbing Riza and giving her a long kiss in front of the crowd.

Many of the old nobles were disgusted by this and wanted to say something, but Issei merely flipped them while kissing Riza before ending it. Riza's face was red as a beet, and a stupid smile was on her face.

"Well, that just felt right," Riza said as Issei took her off the stage and brought her over to Ddraig and Azazel, who were laughing at what Issei did to the council.

"Woah. You sure don't hold back what you want to say, huh?" Azazel asked as Issei shrugged her shoulders.

"As if I care what a bunch of old coots think of me and Riza. I only care about Riza's family and her life, which is why when I do have a stable job, I would like to marry her someday." Issei said as Riza smiled and kissed her girlfriend's left cheek with a grin on her face.

"Oh, why thank you, babe, so did you like kissing me in front of the Underworld?"

"Hey, it's the only way to prove that you're my mate," Issei said with a pout while Riza giggled at this and nodded before giving her a side hug.

"Aw. I love it when you get protective of me, thinking that someone will take me away." Riza said as Issei pouted at the teaser until Ddraig chuckled at the two as it reminded him of when he was going to mate with the woman that he loved more than anything. Still, his stubborn pride had prevented him from having a future with her due to his rivalry with Albion.

"Heh. I wonder if I'll be able to ask Tiamat to forgive me for breaking her treasure." Ddraig said as he was glad to be alive again and wanted to make amends for his past mistakes while protecting his little sister now. Ddraig smiled as he looked at the two lovebirds and could tell that that would be interesting since he wouldn't mind being part of the family.

"Just to let you know, there better not be any funny business until you two get married. I don't want to be an uncle so soon." Ddraig said as Issei buried her face in her hand while avoiding his gaze.

"S-Shut up, and your one to talk since you didn't seem to mind stalking Tiamat back when you had your body!"

"H-How did you know about that?!"

"The past users told me, and at least I didn't break a promise by breaking her treasure!"

"Well, at least I can keep my promises better than you."

"Hah! Says the old man who kept running from his old girlfriend who killed a large number of his hosts just to get revenge on him." Issei said as Ddraig fired back at her, which made Azazel and Riza chuckle at the sight. The two siblings continued to argue for about another hour until the party began to die down. The guests left the party while Riza invited the trio to stay, not knowing about Azazel's true identity.

Issei and Ddraig thanked her as Azazel apologized that he had to leave for work, which Riza didn't mind as she took Issei to her room while Ddriag got dragged by Yubelluna, who was licking her lips at the dragon.

"Care to feel alive again with a two or threesome? I know a few others will want some fun tonight." Yubelunna said as Issei snickered at Ddriag's expression before she waved at him and wished him luck.

Riza then took Issei to her bed. Issei was then shocked to see Ravel was on the bed as well with a nightgown that was see-through while showing off her curves. While Ravel wasn't as top-heavy as her older sister, she made up for her sexy hips and legs while smiling at Issei.

"Hello, Issei-chan," Ravel said as she looked at Issei like a predator would stare at their prey before smiling. Riza slowly took off her clothes and pushed Issei to the bed. She collapsed on Ravel's lap while Riza smiled at Issei before crawling on top of her and placing her head on Issei's chest.

"This is my special gift to you, Issei. Ravel told me that she likes you, and I wanted to include her in your harem, if you okay with her, of course." Riza said as Issei was surprised to see this side of Ravel while also looking into her eyes that showed hints of fear in them until Issei smiled and reassured her with a kiss. Ravel blushed heavily before reciprocating it as Issei loved the fireworks and ended it as she spoke to her.

"So, shall we have a fun night?" Issei asked as Ravel felt turned on by this while Riza was excited to enjoy the pleasure of this special night.

"So you are telling me that Issei actually flipped them off?" Miki asked as Azazel chuckled and nodded as he showed the video while Goro laughed at this as he was so proud of Issei.

"Ah! She totally got that from me."

"Oh, please. Issei takes after me more than you since we both know that I'm much smarter than you." Miki said as Goro began to argue with her, which made Azazel let out a small laugh as he was amused by these two since the two of them really were a great couple.

'Heh. I'm glad I'm friends with them.' Azazel said as he told them about Ddriag taking Issei's old body and how the two are really acting like siblings now, as well as Issei having a wonderful time at the party, which made the two parents smile as they were happy for their daughter until Miki decided it was time to get to business.

"So tell me, what's happening with the Angels and the Excalibur Sword?" Miki asked. Azazel was surprised by this before Mimi explained.

"I'm well aware that a few exorcists are working with a rogue priest and a stray Angel who wants to restart the Great War with a certain Fallen Angel that is under your command," Miki said as Azazel knew where this was going since he knew full well who she was talking about.

"Actually, I wanted to tell you both about Kokabiel," Azazel said as both Goro and Miki were surprised by this, as Azazel explained. "Kokabiel is currently in prison and won't be able to escape, but he did tell me that an Angel is trying to restart the Great War with the Excalibur Swords."

"Does this Angel have a name?" Goro asks as Azazel shakes his head.

"I'm sorry, but Kokabiel didn't mention a name because his mind was wiped of the name. Magic protection to keep the Angel's identity hidden. I guess that it might be one of Michael's siblings since they have the best access to take the Holy Swords as well as amass an army." Azazel said as Miki nodded before taking a sip of her drink.

"Then, in that case, we'll leave Issei's training to you, Azazel. We both know that Issei has gotten stronger, but she isn't nearly powerful enough to take on a Cadre or Maou class, and if this Angel is one of Michael's siblings, then she needs help to get stronger." Miki said as Azazel nodded and agreed to this as the trio continued to speak to one another about the upcoming threat.

Things are going to get interesting, especially since a confident Angel is coming to see her old friend.

Scene!

I do apologize that this one is short; I wanted to be able to end the Phoenix Arc before we really get into the fun stuff.

I hope you all enjoy it, and remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review. Ta-Ta!~